Cassie and Jordan Timpy are right now traveling the world, working with organizations in different countries to document their stories and their work through videos and photographs. They're calling it their "Missional Year," and it's a truly inspiring venture.
Lots of people have a desire to pack up their home and travel the world for an extended period of time. Most people never make it happen. But Cassie and Jordan, they made a decision to do it, put a plan together, and off they went. At the time of this interview, they were at the half-way point in the year-long venture, and have already completed projects in Nepal, India, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda, as well as several in the US.
Juhu Thurkal (who joins me on this podcast) and I got to work with Cassie and Jordan on one of these projects -- the NY Anti-Trafficking Network's #TalkTraffic Video Series:
http://nyatn.org/talktraffic
It was great to collaborate with them and see them in action. Most impressive was how much they got done in one week's time -- filming and editing 10 interviews and delivering final cuts to 8 videos before they left on their early morning flight to their next destination.
In this podcast, we talk with Cassie and Jordan about how they put their "Missional Year" together, and get details on the work that they're doing, where they're doing it, and who they're working with. They also share insights into what it means to them to be doing this journey together as a couple -- two years married and very early on in their professional careers.
I asked Cassie and Jordan for some tips and tricks on how to put together a venture like this. How did they make the decision to quit their jobs and give up the comforts of a permanent home and the proximity of friends and family to travel and volunteer their filmmaking and photography services for an entire year? And once they did that, how did they leverage their contacts and skills in order to engage with and get commitments from organizations all around the world? This isn't just about showing up and volunteering. It's about partnering on a project. And though these organizations aren't paying a monetary fee to Cassie and Jordan for their work, they are covering things like airfare, lodging, and food. Lots of logistics and a strong need for clear communication.
Cassie and Jordan were very open about how they handled all this. I appreciated that their responses went well beyond life hack tips and tricks, and focused more on their faith, their willingness and patience to do the hard step-by-step prep work, and their shared desire to do something adventurous as a couple to really push what it means to be alive and make the most of their lives.
You can visit their website -- http://agapevisuals.com -- to learn more about their missional year, and follow them on Twitter and Instagram to get all the latest updates from the road.
http://twitter.com/agapevisuals
http://instagram.com/agapevisuals
-- Jeffrey Yamaguchi | http://jeffreyyamaguchi.com
http://twitter.com/jeffyamaguchi
-- Juhu Thukral | http://juhuthukral.com
http://twitter.com/juhuthukral
Here are links to their write-ups (featuring beautiful photos) on the places they've been and the projects they've worked on so far:
Immigrants overcoming obstacles in Washington D.C.
http://agapevisuals.com/ayuda/
Military Believers in Norfolk and Worldwide
http://agapevisuals.com/military-believers/
Experts #TalkTraffic in New York
http://agapevisuals.com/talk-traffic-in-nyc/
Redeeming the Homeless in NYC
http://agapevisuals.com/redeeming-the-homeless-in-nyc/
The Beauty of the Congo
http://agapevisuals.com/drc/
Building Freedom in India
http://agapevisuals.com/building-freedom-in-india/
Stopping the Traffic in Nepal
http://agapevisuals.com/stopping-the-traffic-in-nepal/
Equipping Saints in Nepal
http://agapevisuals.com/equipping-saints-in-nepal/